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Why have Real Madrid partnered with Louis Vuitton?

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Last week, French fashion house Louis Vuitton announced a partnership with Real Madrid, establishing a formal association between arguably the world’s most recognisable luxury clothing brand and European football’s most storied club.

Louis Vuitton is not the first luxury label to make the crossover into the sport.

Manchester City announced an agreement with Italy’s C.P. Company in 2024, which became their official fashionwear partner. That followed the club’s long-term deal with Dsquared², which started in 2016 before ending in their treble-winning 2023 season, where City players and manager Pep Guardiola would arrive at away matches in the Champions League wearing outfits made by that designer brand.

It is not just City, though — there are countless examples of similar deals in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur’s victorious Europa League squad arrived at the stadium for that final last month wearing suits designed by Kiton, the Italian company that has been the club’s official formalwear partner since 2023. Their north London neighbours Arsenal have recently looked more locally for style inspiration, collaborating with Labrum London, whose founder Foday Dumbuya is an Arsenal supporter, on last season’s away kit and an accompanying lifestyle collection.

It is increasingly common around wider Europe, too.

In Italy’s Serie A, Juventus have partnered with Loro Piana since 2021, and Milan collaborated with Off-White for last season’s fourth kit. Madrid themselves previously had an association with Zegna, so they are not breaking new ground in collaborating with an esteemed designer brand.

This new deal is reportedly worth up to €7million (£5.9m; $8.1m at current rates), although a Real Madrid source — who did not wish to be named as they did not have permission to discuss its terms — described that figure as “optimistic”.

Either way, the prestige of Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s most recognisable symbols of luxury in fashion, is singular.


Milan forward Santiago Gimenez in last season’s fourth kit, designed by Off-White (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

“These have been happening for years now, it shows a shift on both sides,” says sports business consultant and journalist Daniel-Yaw Miller. “Not just in the way clubs see themselves, but in how brands see themselves.

“There’s so much synergy between iconic fashion brands and football clubs. They’re huge cultural entities with so much history and heritage — like how fashion houses have their heritage tied to collections, football clubs have so much history tied to their kits, aesthetic and badges over time. It’s the same as how fashion houses look at patterns and designs over time.”

Louis Vuitton is no stranger to the world of football either. It created a commemorative ball for the 1998 World Cup in its homeland of France and has designed the tournament trophy’s travelling case since 2010.

American music artist Pharrell Williams has served as its men’s creative director since 2023, and football stars including Jude Bellingham, Marcus Thuram, Jadon Sancho, Jules Kounde and Madrid’s marquee summer 2025 signing Trent Alexander-Arnold were in attendance at his first runway show. Williams even included a pair of “football trainers” in their spring/summer collection this year, retailing at an eyewatering £885 ($1,200).

Five years before their current owners at Qatar Sports Investment bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, the Ligue 1 club released an away kit inspired by Louis Vuitton’s colours and design — albeit without an official link to the brand.

Given their shared home city and emphasis on fashion, PSG may also have been a prime candidate for the company’s first official club partnership. Still, Miller says Madrid’s prestige and the large personal brands of their star players make it an obvious match.

“Louis Vuitton has always had small relationships in sport,” says Miller. “Whether that’s creating trophy cases or limited releases around prestigious occasions. But a few years ago, LVMH, Louis Vuitton’s parent company, decided that sport would be its one major cultural push.

“You saw that with their strategy around the Olympics (held in Paris and across France last August), where they were a premium sponsor and paid big amounts to have their brand visible. They paid (a reported) $1billion to sponsor Formula One for 10 years. But if you want to show up on a global stage, you want to be associated with football.

“They started working similarly to how they did with Formula One, informally dressing Jude Bellingham for certain events before making him an official ambassador, like they did with Lewis Hamilton (who became an ambassador for Dior, another brand under the LVMH banner, in 2024). Then, if you want to be in football, there’s no bigger entity than Real Madrid.”

Bellingham partnered with Louis Vuitton last summer, following his England team-mate Jack Grealish signing a seven-figure deal to become a Gucci ambassador in 2022. Bellingham — who is also linked to Skims, a clothing brand founded by Kim Kardashian — was the third major athlete to sign as a “friend of the house” after current Wimbledon and French Open tennis champion (and known madridista) Carlos Alcaraz and NBA basketball star Victor Wembanyama, who was raised in a suburb of Paris. Last year, fellow Real Madrid fan Rafael Nadal combined with long-time rival Roger Federer for a photoshoot organised by Louis Vuitton in the Italian Dolomites.

Bellingham is one of several superstar players at Madrid whose celebrity has transcended football. Kylian Mbappe is one of the world’s most famous athletes. Fellow forward Vinicius Junior is one of the faces of the Brazil national team with more than 50million Instagram followers, and newcomer Alexander-Arnold, who is frequently spotted at major fashion and sporting events, also represent much more from a branding perspective.

“Madrid have a lot of players who are loved by Gen Z audiences,” says Jordan Clarke, founder of Footballer Fits, an Instagram page with more than 800,000 followers which celebrates the relationship between football and fashion.

“Louis Vuitton is such a prestigious brand, and they’ve historically not targeted these audiences. But I think with the likes of Vinicius, Bellingham, Mbappe, (their team-mate Eduardo) Camavinga, they’re reaching new audiences with the love people have for these athletes. It’s a valid seal of approval for these brands for the youth.

“The athletes of today, especially those high-profile Madrid players, are almost creatives themselves. They’re going to be posting content onto their socials wearing Louis Vuitton, taken from the players themselves on their iPhones. That makes it a player-backed brand.”


Louis Vuitton will hope to capitalise on Madrid players’ global profiles (Louis Vuitton x Real Madrid Partnership Images)

This summer’s Club World Cup in the United States will be the first opportunity for the record 15-time European champions to show off this new collaboration.

According to the blurb in the accompanying press release, “the collection will be worn by the teams and includes tailored garments, shoes, accessories and luggage,” and the items will be worn at major travel opportunities and events.

LVMH has reported first-quarter revenues of €20.3billion (£17.3bn/$23.5bn at current rates) last month, down two per cent on the same period in 2024. Part of that is due to a five per cent sales decrease in the company’s fashion and leather goods division, with Europe being the only market that posted growth (two per cent). According to Miller, pushing the brand in front of new demographics is how LVMH is trying to drive a new wave of enthusiasm around its flagship brand.

“For a long time, luxury fashion houses have operated on the belief that the exclusivity of their brand will drive enough business to generate profit, despite the high price point,” says Miller. “But in the last three or four years, luxury brands have struggled to keep up. Sales and profits have been declining, so LVMH is looking for new cultural avenues to drive excitement.”

In front of a new audience in America, perhaps there’s no better time for Louis Vuitton to announce the partnership as Madrid aim to become the first winners of FIFA’s revamped, greatly expanded and rescheduled Club World Cup.

Additional reporting: Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai

(Top photo: Madrid’s Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Jr in their new suits; Louis Vuitton x Real Madrid Partnership Images)





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Cal Poly indoor track and field sets school records in Reno – Times-Standard

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Cal Poly Humboldt women’s and men’s indoor track and field squads opened the 2025 season with a meet at the Silver State Invitational and Multis, hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno, this past weekend. The Jacks saw three NCAA provisional marks set, one by pole vaulter Michael Payan (16-8.75) and two on the women’s side, Cocome McKamey in the pentathlon (8th out of 22) and Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (2:10.70 seconds in the 800 meters). Two of those marks are likely enough to earn an invite to the national championships in March, according to Lumberjacks head coach Sarah Ingram.

The marks are set as an indication that the individual is in range to go to nationals, not a “golden ticket,” Ingram said. When the time comes for the university to declare athletes it wants to enter for the national championship, they are allowed with a provisional mark. However, there will still only be roughly the top 18 that qualify for the national meet out of those declared, which comes down to a ranked order list of each event. Payan’s mark, Ingram is reasonably confident, will be included, and comes after Payan took fifth place last year at nationals as a freshman, setting a new school record as “we’re expecting big things out of him this year,” said Ingram.

On the women’s side, Perez-Zoghbi has gone previously to nationals indoor in the 800m and outdoors twice for the 400m hurdles, the 800 currently being her focus. Ingram said her mark is probably strong enough to get her in, which Ingram said “is pretty exciting, and obviously both of these athletes are going to continue competing; we have a couple more weekends of indoor in February where they’ll be able to try to better those marks and get them as high as possible on that rankings. Our third athlete, Cocome McKamey, is one of our multi-event athletes indoors with the pentathlon. Her mark met the qualifying threshold, but based on previous years, we don’t expect that mark to be good enough to get in, but based on what we saw at her meet, she’ll be able to hit the marks needed at our next multi opportunity up in Spokane, Washington in February.”

Humboldt is going on its third season in indoor track and field, and “building out some depth in our record book,” according to Ingram. Eight new school records were set in Reno across the women’s and men’s events. Of the women, two freshman had an “outstanding” meet, said Ingram, with “really big personal bests in all their events.” Kelsi Lytle set a new school record in the 60m with a 7.85 seconds and also had p.r.’s in the 200m and 400m, while Caitlyn Dougherty established a school-best mark in the 200m and had personal records in the 200m, 400m (winning her heat at 58.32 secs), and 60m hurdles. She was also on the 4×400 team that set a new school record with Brielle Jimerson, McKamey, and Perez-Zoghbi.

“We’re really expecting a strong 4x400m relay in our next meet as well, and hoping we’ll be able to get a provisional qualifying mark in that event as well,” said Ingram.

Of the men, in addition to Payan’s new school mark, Dylan Ochoa also set a new mark in the 400m, running 49.12 seconds. Collin Friedman had a new long jump record and high jump as well to tie Gabe Bondurant and Alex Dillon in the latter at 1.90m. Joseph Gonzalez not only set a new school record in the shot put, he won the meet outright with a 15.89m, and Isaak Kasso won the 60m hurdles with a mark of 8.50 secs.

“We’ve got a big stretch here where we’re taking a break and not allowed to have official practices during winter break,” said Ingram. “We’re trying to make sure everybody passes their classes, does their finals and enjoys the holidays. And then we come back and start practicing again Jan. 12. Our first meet (of the new year) will be February 5th through 7th in Spokane. We’ll be bringing all event groups and that meet will also have a multi offered as well.”

Finally, she continued, “We had lots of really good stuff this weekend, we’re just really excited to be putting up such strong marks this early in the year, it helps the athletes stay motivated going into that long stretch of winter break with their goal-setting, their training, when they’re kind of on their own time. We’re excited for what this will mean not only for the finish of our indoor season come February and March, but springboarding us into that outdoor season for the whole rest of the spring semester.”



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NMU track & field wins pair of events at Early Bird | News, Sports, Jobs

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Northern Michigan University’s Baux Truckey, center, gets out of the starting blocks during a track event at a college indoor track and field meet held at Minnesota State-Mankato on Feb. 15. (Photo courtesy of NMU)

OSHKOSH, Wis. — The women’s track and field team at Northern Michigan University opened their season with more than a dozen top-five finishes, including two event victories, at the Early Bird Invitational hosted by Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Friday and Saturday.

With no team scores kept, the Wildcats tasted the most success with Kaitlin Smith winning the pole vault and Teiolla Harvey capturing first place in the weight throw. Teammates also added four runner-up finishes, six in third place, two more in fourth place and another three in fifth.

In the field, Smith cleared 3.36 meters (11 feet, 1/4 inch) to win the pole vault, while teammate Alyssa Tumminaro got over at 3.06 meters (10-feet-1/2) for third.

Harvey’s winning weight throw distance was 15.81 meters (51-10 1/2), which she achieved on her fourth throw. The Wildcats’ Danielle Lund, a Manistique High School graduate, was fourth with 15.18 meters (49-9 5/8).

Harvey was also runner-up in the shot put with a heave of 12.29 meters (40-3 7/8), while teammate Alizabeth Little was third with 12.20 meters (40-feet-3/8) and Lund fifth with 11.56 meters (37-11 1/8).

And Northern’s Crystal Walker was third in the long jump with a leap of 5.31 meters (17-5), while Alayna Vandegriff was third in the triple jump with 11.07 meters (36-3 7/8).

On the track, the Wildcats’ Anya VanSweden was runner-up in the first race on Saturday, the 3,000-meter run, in 10 minutes, 58.38 seconds.

In the 60 hurdles, freshman teammate Lily Phillips was second in 8.95 seconds, while Walker was fourth in 9.19.

Marquette Senior High School product Baux Truckey was third in the 60 dash in 7.87.

In the 4-by-400 relay, Truckey, Lily Phillips, Taylor Rogers and Beverly Harper were runners-up in 4:06.32, while Brooke Lemos, Paige Anderson, Ella DeBruyn and Ishpeming grad Lola Korpi were fifth in 4:31.32.

In the five-event pentathlon, NMU’s Natasha Nowakowski finished third in a field of 11 competitors after compiling 3,076 points. He top finishers were third in both the high jump after clearing 1.54 meters (5-feet-5/8) and shot put with a heave of 9.86 meters (32-4 1/4).

Teammate Eva Zonca was fifth with 2,942 points as she was fourth in the 60 hurdles in 9.51 seconds, while Northern’s Elizabeth Simpson was sixth with 2,875 points. Simpson’s top finish was fourth in the 800 in 2:34.80.

With this warm-up meet finished, the Wildcats won’t be in action again until Jan. 24 when they travel to Whitewater, Wisconsin, for the Karl Schlender Invitational.

They also have one home meet on Saturday, Feb. 7, the WCW Tri-Meet, an annual event that also includes Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.



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This Week in Dartmouth Sports: 12.9 – 12.15

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HANOVER, N.H. – Check out all the Big Green teams in action this week!
 
Men’s Basketball –  Tuesday, December 9 and Saturday, December 13
The Dartmouth men’s basketball team will wrap its trip to the Rocky Mountains by playing Colorado State at 9:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. MST).The Big Green will then host Boston University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Leede Arena. Follow live stats at DartmouthSports.com and click here to purchase tickets for Saturday’s game. 
 
Women’s Basketball – Thursday, December 11 + Saturday, December 13
The Big Green hit the road this week for games at NJIT (Thursday) and Iona (Saturday). Dartmouth is coming off two wins last weekend, beating Central Connecticut State (53-44) and Bucknell (53-45). The Big Green are 5-2 after seven games, marking their best record after seven games since the 2017-18 season. Nina Miniccozi has impressed, posting double-figure points for three straight games, the longest streak of her career.
 
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field – Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13
After opening the indoor schedule in Boston, Mass., the Dartmouth track and field teams will host the Dartmouth December Invitational on Friday and Saturday, marking the first home meet of the indoor season. You can follow live results here.
 
Women’s Hockey – Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13
Dartmouth women’s hockey will close the first half of the season this weekend, welcoming Saint Michael’s and Saint Anselm to Thompson Arena for its final games of 2025. The Big Green are coming off a 3-1 loss to RPI and a scoreless tie with Union last weekend and will look to get back in the win column before the holiday break.
The matchup with the Purple Knights on Friday, December 12 is the first in program history. Friday’s game will also be Dartmouth’s annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Townline Equipment. Bring a new unwrapped teddy bear and toss it onto the ice after the Big Green’s first goal. On Saturday, Dartmouth will host Saint Anselm, having a 3-2 record against the Hawks. The Big Green won the teams’ last matchup 9-1 in Manchester last season. Puck drop on Friday is set for 3 p.m. while Saturday’s game will get underway at 2 p.m. You can purchase tickets here or watch either game on ESPN+ or follow the live stats on DartmouthSports.com.
 
Men’s Hockey – Friday, December 12 and Sunday, December 14
No. 8/7 Dartmouth men’s hockey hits the ice for two games ahead of the holiday break. The Big Green take on Army on Friday night before traveling to in-state rival UNH. Dartmouth is coming off its fifth straight weekend sweep after defeating ECAC Hockey and Ivy foes Brown and Yale this past weekend. Hayden Stavroff had six goals and three assists in the two games as he was named ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week. On Monday, the Big Green were ranked eighth in the USCHO.com poll and seventh in the USA Hockey poll, the highest ranking the Big Green have received under the current polling system. Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to Friday’s game against Army for Dartmouth’s annual teddy bear toss; faceoff is at 7 p.m. 
 
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving – Saturday, December, 13 
The Big Green return to action on Saturday at the CSCAA Open Water Nationals following a stellar performance at the Golden Grizzly Classic, which saw the women finish first and men second.
 
 
 



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Beach and Munday Earn 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Recognition

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — San Diego volleyball’s Nemo Beach and Kylie Munday earned 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region recognition, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday.

Beach, a junior outside hitter from Chandler, Arizona, was named to the 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Team, while Munday, a sophomore setter from Post Falls, Idaho, picked up a 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention.

It’s the first career AVCA accolade for both Beach and Munday, who were named the 2025 WCC Player and Setter of the Year, respectively, last month.

Beach hit .261 and led the WCC with 467 kills and 527 points this season, marks that ranked 25th and 26th nationally. She also recorded 208 digs, 41 blocks, and 36 service aces, and achieved eight double-doubles this season. She received three WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2025 and was also named to the 2025 All-WCC First Team.

Munday totaled 1,108 assists, 273 digs, 65 blocks (seven solo), 65 kills, and a team-high 47 service aces in 2025 as she became the first player in program history to be named the WCC Setter of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Munday achieved 13 double-doubles in 2025 and had 50 or more assists in six different matches. She was named the WCC Setter of the Week four times this season.

Beach and Munday are the Toreros’ first AVCA All-Region players since 2022, when Gabby Blossom, Grace Frohling, Katie Lukes, and Leyla Blackwell were recognized.
 



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UTRGV Athletics Welcomes Dan Keefe as Assistant Director of Ticket Sales and Operations

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday the hiring of Dan Keefe as assistant director of ticket sales and operations.
 
Keefe will oversee group ticket sales and experiences while also assisting with ticket sales and operations for all UTRGV-ticketed athletic events. In addition, Keefe will assist the team in season ticket sales.
 
“We’re very excited for Dan to be the newest member of our team,” Assistant Athletic Director of Ticket Sales and Operations Nicholas Swanson said. “He brings a great understanding of what it takes to succeed at the FCS level from his time at Montana State. I’m confident Dan will make a positive impact on not only UTRGV Athletics, but the community here in the Rio Grande Valley, and I believe our fans and season ticket holders will enjoy the quality of customer service and professionalism they will experience when working with him.”
 
Keefe brings experience working for one of the premier FCS athletic departments in the country after spending over a year at Montana State. Working as a marketing and game operations graduate assistant with the Bobcats, Keefe primarily oversaw women’s basketball, volleyball, and tennis marketing initiatives, managed department social media pages, oversaw eight interns for game day and day-to-day marketing strategies and operations, and was the on-field director for Montana State football.
 
“I am excited to accept this position with the Vaqueros,” Keefe said. “Joining the family here brings a great opportunity to grow in my experiences and knowledge of collegiate athletics. I want to thank [Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics] Chasse Conque, [Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Revenue Officer] Derek Schramm, and Nick for this opportunity to join the UTRGV family. When I first got to the Valley, I knew this is home, the community has embraced me, and I am looking forward to meeting Vaquero nation! V’s Up!”

Prior to his time with Montana State, Keefe was the director of football operations for Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSU Moorhead) for five years. Keefe would work in a variety of recruiting tasks, maintained team travel and meal budget, managed a team of up to eight students for game day and equipment operations, and helped with multiple recruiting tasks.

 

Keefe is currently pursuing his Master of Science in sport and coaching science at Montana State and previously earned his Bachelor of Science in exercise science from MSU Moorhead in 2024.

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Three Owls Kick Off Indoor Track Season with LEC Awards

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three Keene State College student-athletes honored by the Little East Conference for their achievements accomplished for the week of 12/1-12/7 after the Owls’ first day of competition for the indoor 2025-2026 season.
 
Men’s Indoor Track and Field
 
Junior Tyler Bolaske (Palmer, Mass.) was named the LEC Track Athlete of the Week from his performance at the New Balance Early Bird Invitational at the TRACK on Saturday. Bolaske picked up where he left off from the cross country season with his performance on Saturday as he ran the 5,000 meters in 14:56.89 to finish in ninth in a tough field. Bolaske’s time is currently a top-25 time in Division III as he sits in 22nd after the opening weekend of action to kick off the indoor season.
 
The Owls’ distance medley relay team also took home an LEC recognition as they were named the LEC Relay Team of the Week. The relay team composed of Sean Von Ranson, Aidan Law, Keith O’Donnell, and Nick Terranova won first at the Suffolk Relays on Saturday with a time of 3:37.57, beating the other 13 teams in the event.
 
Bolaske, the Sprint Medley Relay team, and the Owls’ return to action over break at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational at Middlebury College on Saturday, January 10, at 11:00 AM.
 
Women’s Indoor Track and Field
 
Freshman Ballay Conteh (Concord, N.H.) was named the Rookie Field Athlete of the Week from her first performance of her first indoor track and field season for the Owls at the Suffolk Relays. Conteh recorded a New England Division III qualifying mark in the long jump with her first jump of 3.59 setting the winning mark at the meet.
 
Conteh and the Owls’ return to action over break at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational at Middlebury College on Saturday, January 10, at 11:00 AM.
 



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